Takaramono
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: AU. Whoever said love was easy didn't know this pink haired shrew. -Rated for Sexual Content-
1. Negotiations

**Takaramono**

_Chapter One_

-Negotiations-

"I think I should have the land and you can have the inhabitants." A redheaded man said sharply, crossing his arms over his bare chest. He had on a woven leather arm band around each of his biceps, and a large headdress made of black feathers. A few necklaces adorned his neck, each bead symbolizing an amazing feat he had accomplished.

He sat Indian style and watched the man before him closely. The other had long, soft, chocolate brown hair with milky eyes that at first made people assume he might be blind. But he was far from it. He had on a loose, white long sleeved shirt and dark leather pants, much like the redhead had on. "I want the land. I care nothing of the people." he said sternly, resting his hands on his knees.

"Well neither do I." he protested.

"Chief Gaara…" the blonde woman beside him sighed, trying to calm the young lord.

"No. Our tribe is bigger, thus we need more land."

The brunette shook his head. "You are a bunch of savages. All you need is your dirt." He smirked. Gaara rose, glaring down at the man hatefully.

"I beg your pardon."

The girl beside the other lord frowned, looking nervous and worried about the whole ordeal. "L-lord Neji…"

Neji stood and the two chiefs butted heads. "I want the land!"

"No, we deserve it! We are more civilized."

A blonde man cleared his throat, getting both of the two males' attention. He had been sitting between them the entire time, a bit off to the side. His spiky blonde hair stood out against his tanned skin, a set of bright blue eyes being the most notable feature on his face. He wore a pair of leather pants, not unlike the brunette, but his chest was bare, a large swirl surrounded by other squiggles on his stomach, symbolizing his role as chief. He had bands painted around his biceps in a bright orange, and only wore one necklace, made of black string with a crystal hanging from the center. He did not have a headdress, merely a leather band tied around his forehead to keep his bangs from his eyes.

"Why don't the two of you just split the land?" He suggested. "And one of you take in me and my people?"

They both opened their mouths to protest and then closed them as they thought. "Well…" Gaara began.

Neji sighed. "Fine. That sounds fair. But I do not want them all."

Gaara shrugged. "Fine, I will take them. You may pick one you want and you will give us a Hyuuga. That way the blood mixes and we cannot betray one another. Fair?"

"Sounds fair to me. I will take a mate from them then, since I do not wish for one amongst my people, and you may have my cousin as yours." Neji said, gesturing to Hinata, who went wide eyed.

The redhead glanced down at her and then back to Neji. "No. I will be choosing my own mate. But we will take her." Gaara said and snapped his fingers, pointing to Naruto. "You will mate her and join her with us."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at the woman. She wasn't unattractive, she was actually extremely beautiful. Though, she was very quiet. But he supposed he could work around that. "Very well." He nodded. "I will pick one of the women in my tribe to be your mate." He said to Neji, before looking at Gaara. "And if you wish, you may pick from the ones that are left."

"No." Gaara and Neji said together. "I will pick my mate myself." The redhead told him.

"As will I." Neji said, taking a deep breath. "Now go bring them forth. And we will pick who we want." He ordered Naruto and shooed him away.

He came back a few moments later, followed by two women. One had brown hair that flowed down her back in waves. She wore a dress made of leather that stopped just above her knees, with one thick strap on her shoulder to hold it up, leaving the other bare. The other woman had long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail, her bangs hanging over one eye. Her clothes were more revealing, consisting of a small top that barely contained her large chest, and a skirt that hugged her hips and went down to her feet, a slit going up each side to her hips. "This is Tenten." He gestured to the brunette. "And this is Ino." He said, pointing to the blonde.

Gaara made a face. "This is all you have?"

Naruto sighed. "No…the other one…won't come." He said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Well make her." He ordered.

Neji just gave the brunette a once over and smirked. "I would like that one." He pointed.

Naruto nodded to Tenten, who walked over and stood next to Neji obediently. Then he looked back to Gaara. "One moment." He left the tent then.

It was silent for a few moments, until yelling could be heard from the occupants inside the tent. The blonde woman, Ino, just rolled her eyes and began to inspect her nails, as if this sort of thing was normal. Two voices were heard, one being Naruto's, and the other a voice that was distinctly feminine. There was the sound of a scuffle, until Naruto re-entered the tent, holding his jaw in a manner that showed he had been punched.

Suddenly a brunette man came into the tent, and it seemed he was struggling with something. A pale arm could be seen, and then a woman was yanked into the tent, her other arm being held by a man with black hair that was tied back in a spiky ponytail. She was a slip of a woman, with short, bright pink hair and vibrant emerald eyes. She had on a pair of leather boots, with a small knife tucked into the right one, and a short leather skirt. Her top was made of the same dark material, and consisted of two triangles that covered her breasts, with two thick straps to hold it up, and tied in a knot low between her breasts, showing all of her cleavage.

She yanked her arms free of the two men's grasps, glaring at both of them before crossing her arms. Her gaze locked with Gaara's, defiance evident in their green depths. "And this," Naruto said, "is Sakura. She's the village's healer."

Gaara just smirked, eyeing her and her feistiness. "Well I want her."

"Well I don't want you, so there's a problem." She said, causing everyone's eyes to widen as they looked at her, and back to the redhead, waiting to see what would happen.

He just stared at her, the only apparent expression being surprise. But his shock slowly melted away and he smirked. "You would turn down the chief of a tribe much more powerful than your own? You do realize I am now your leader, and technically your master."

"I don't care who you are." She gave him a once over. "And I have no master."

"Sakura…" Naruto said, trying to appeal to her. She gave him a sideways glance.

"I'm not against punching you again." She threatened, causing him to close his mouth.

Gaara's delight only increased and his attraction to her grew. He stepped closer, staring down at her agitated face. "I will have you, no matter what." He smirked, tracing his finger beneath her jaw.

She let a slow, seductive smile grace her features. "Oh, well…in that case." She moved a bit closer and then punched him right in the gut, snorting and heading out of the tent with a huff. Everyone was wide eyed as Gaara keeled over, holding his abdomen.

He managed out a pained laugh. "Oh, a challenge I see."

"I'm really sorry about that." Naruto said, hoping his friend hadn't just ruined everything with her behavior. "She's just stubborn."

Finally recovering, he rubbed his stomach and shook his head. "No, no. I like her fire. It's absolutely intoxicating."

"Okay..." the blonde said, still unsure if this was going to work out or not. "So, when do you wish for my tribe to be ready for the move to Shirakawa?"

"Whenever you feel like it." Gaara said, waving off the blonde. "I need to go rethink my strategy for this very difficult prize."

"Yeah good luck with that." He said, meaning it.

And with that, Gaara left the meeting tent, already formulating different ways of winning over the gorgeous, yet stubborn woman. He smirked, "I will have her, if it's the last thing that I do."


	2. Adaptation

**Takaramono**

_Chapter Two_

-Adaptation-

"How could you do this to us?" an angry pink haired woman asked, glaring at the blonde man before her.

"Sakura, calm down." Naruto held his hands in front of himself to try and placate her. "It's for the good of the people."

"How is letting some tyrant take over our tribe for the good of the people?" she placed her hands on her hips.

Naruto sighed, knowing that she was going to be difficult about it, based on her stance. "He isn't a tyrant. Gaara is actually a good leader. His village is thriving, and his lands are plentiful."

Sakura snorted. "Yeah, because he kills everyone that opposes him."

"Look, since we lost over half of the village to that plague, including Tsunade, this is what we have to do." He said, noticing the pain that flashed across his friend's face. "It was either join with the Ookami, or be wiped out by another tribe completely. At least this way we have the chance to keep our people and beliefs alive. Besides, they are not that much different than we are, if only a bit more brutal."

"I just don't see how this is going to work." She said, crossing her arms. "Everyone is happy with the way things are."

"Simple. We will move into Shirakawa, and officially form a pact between us, the Ookami, and the Musutangu. I traded Tenten to Neji, the leader of the Musutangu, and he gave me his cousin to mate with, strengthening our ties. Gaara can just have a choice of whoever is left if he wants. And apparently, he wants you." Naruto told her.

"Well he can't have me, so your plan is flawed."

"He's pretty determined." He said.

Her glare hardened. "I thought you were all meeting up so that you could keep the Ookami and the Musutangu from wiping us out and taking over."

"I was, but they were forming a pact, and this was the easiest, most blood-free way to do it. Besides, with the new chief wanting your affections, you might get some perks out of all this." He said, trying to make a joke. When she just continued to stare at him, he sighed. "Will you at least stand by my decision? If I don't have your support in this, then nobody else will be open to it."

She frowned. "Fine. I will support you in this when you tell everyone else, but I am _not_ happy with it. And I sure as hell am not giving myself over to that arrogant man." she pointed at him before storming out of the tent.

The young blonde just sighed once more, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Once he told everyone, they would be packed up and on their way to Shirakawa, where his people could have a better life. He only hoped Sakura didn't piss Gaara off and ruin everything. A fight between two such stubborn people would not end well. At all.

* * *

Two days later, Sakura stood at the edge of the valley where the rest of her people were buried. About a year ago, the village had been plagued with a terrible sickness that neither she, nor her mentor Tsunade, had ever seen before. It swiftly infected the people, killing the elderly, young, and perfectly healthy. Somehow her mentor had caught the disease, despite the numerous precautions she had taken, and had died after a long and painful battle with it.

She slowly walked until stopping before a wooden post that had her teacher's symbols carved into it. Reaching out, she traced the pattern before laying her hand over it, tears coming to her eyes. "I am sorry I couldn't save you Tsunade. Or our people. It's my fault we have to leave our homeland now. Nobody really blames me, I know they don't, but it's still my fault." She said softly. "Please forgive me. I pray you rest in peace, and don't cause them too much trouble in the Spirit World." She smiled slightly, before letting her hand slide off the pole and hang loosely at her side.

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she turned and walked back to the area that used to be her village. Everything had already been packed up, and today they were going to make the journey to Shirakawa. They didn't have much to bring, only what they could carry on their backs, since their livestock and horses had either died of disease or been eaten so that nobody starved. It had been a rough winter, followed by a worse summer, only aiding in the disease's intent to kill as many as possible.

Picking up her pack, she slung it over her shoulder and joined her friends, her mood somber as she prepared herself to leave her homeland. When everyone else had been told about the move, they actually took it rather well. There would be food, water, better shelter, and more people, something they hadn't seen in a while. It seemed that she was the only one who opposed the thought of leaving the place where they grew up, but she was content with that. Sometimes you had to stand alone in your beliefs.

Seeing that everyone was as ready as they'd ever be, Naruto looked at Gaara. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes. Let's go." He nodded and stared forward, with the few of his own villagers that had come with him.

The journey to Shirakawa took a few days, and there wasn't much talking amongst the people along the way. What little conversation there was, was generated by Naruto and Kiba, the brunette who had dragged Sakura into the meeting tent a few days before. They came to the gates of the village, everyone from Tsushima, including Sakura, looking at them in awe, as they had never seen a village like it before.

The gates were very large, and most of the village was on a large piece of land between two sections of river. They walked until they were in the center, in front of a large tent, which Sakura assumed was where Gaara lived. The Ookami people looked at the newcomers curiously, since people from other villages weren't a common sight.

"Set up anywhere you like. Though make sure you ask. Most everyone is friendly within the gates. But other than that you may do as you please." He told them. "If you need help finding something, just ask someone. We have a training field and farms over there." He pointed towards the west. "And our ritual grounds are over that bridge." He gestured to the opposite one.

They all nodded, and wordlessly set off to find a place to set up their tents. Sakura sighed, and went to explore the village a bit before choosing a place. She was very picky about location, after all. Eventually she found a spot that suited her, closer to the entrance of the village and next to the river. As a healer, being near the water was convenient. It was only an added bonus that she was on the opposite side of the village from Gaara. She didn't want to be any closer to him than she had to be.

Putting down her pack, she took out everything she would need and pitched her tent. It was small, only big enough to hold her and two other people, since most healing sessions took place outside. Once her pallet was rolled out, and she had inventoried her herbs, she realized that she would need to go out and gather a few more soon. She sighed, knowing the task would be difficult, since she didn't know the land very well.

Her stomach growled then, and she placed a hand to it, realizing that it was beginning to get dark, and she hadn't eaten anything all day. She stood and left her tent, going to see if there was anything she could eat. Walking around, she heard some music being played, and crossed the bridge to the ritual grounds, seeing that everyone was celebrating the joining of their tribes.

They were dancing and eating, tons of food being laid out on a large table before Gaara, who was sitting in a place of honor, overlooking everyone. Naruto was seated next to him, along with his new mate, the quiet woman named Hinata, from Ayutthaya. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, but Sakura was at a loss for what to do. She was hungry, but if she ate the food people would think she was okay with the new pact, and she wasn't. And she didn't want to join in the dancing, for she was extremely self-conscious, and being around so many people that she didn't know, in a place she'd never been, diminished her confidence somewhat. Crossing her arms over her chest, she chose to sink into the background, watching everyone as they celebrated.

Someone coughed from behind her, getting the young maiden's attention. She turned to see a blonde woman, her hair somewhat erratic and pinned up in one crazy ponytail. She smiled and waved. "Hi I'm Temari. You want to come and sit with me?"

"I don't know…" she said, looking around and seeming a bit unsure. Then she nodded, the corner of her mouth tilting slightly. "Yes, that would be nice." She decided. Best to at least try and make some friends here, since it would be where she was spending the rest of her days. And the woman seemed nice enough.

Temari dragged her forward, all the way to the front, and plopped her right next to Gaara, who looked all too pleased. The blonde sat beside her and picked up a piece of succulent meat and ripped some of it off with her teeth.

The redhead chief leaned over to her, now decorated with paints and other beads to show his status. "Hey, I don't think we got a chance to properly meet. My name is Gaara."

"That's nice." She said, glancing at him before looking out at the people dancing. Her body was slightly tensed, and she was trying her best not to give into her desire to completely gorge herself. If she ate this food, she would be giving in to him, and she refused to do that. She would just wait until morning.

Gaara sighed and then, even over the loud drums, they both heard her stomach growl in protest. "Please eat. It's foolish that you're starving yourself. Shouldn't you be setting a good example since you are a healer? Not eating is unhealthy." He told her, offering her a juicy piece of meat.

"Not hungry." She said as her mouth began to water at the exquisite aroma that was wafting to her nose from the meat he was offering her.

"If you eat, I promise not to start attempting to seduce you for _two_ whole days." He smirked, pushing it closer, watching her eyes follow it.

She looked at the meat, and then to him, and then back at the meat. He could tell she was having an inner debate with herself, and felt his smirk widen as she took the morsel from him. "Fine." She said, biting into it and holding back a moan of appreciation. It was probably the best meat she had ever eaten. Certainly this was the most food she had ever seen in one place before, and she was very impressed, though she would never admit it.

He smiled. "Alright then. In two days' time I will start my wooing of you." Gaara informed her. She snorted, but didn't look up from her food, not wanting to have a conversation with him. He could try and woo her all he wanted. She wasn't some simpleminded female that could be bought over easily by pretty words and sentiments that only meant something until the man had gotten what he wanted. On top of that, there was something about Gaara that just went against her grain. Maybe it was his arrogance, or the way he looked at her as if he knew that her efforts were futile. Either way, she didn't want a mate, wasn't looking for one, and was perfectly content to be alone for the rest of her life.

He just smirked, that awful, slightly attractive smirk that just screamed he knew something you didn't. "I find you absolutely mind blowing."

She stopped eating, looking at him as if he had grown two heads. "You…are strange." She said, picking up a cup and drinking some water.

Gaara stared at her for a bit and then leaned back, crossing his arms. "I don't understand why you loathe me so. I've done nothing to deserve this from you."

"I don't loathe you. I just don't like you." She told him, picking up another piece of meat.

"Yes, I know. But why? You seem to like my sister just fine." He gestured to the blonde woman next to her, who stopped mid-chew and looked over at them.

"Hey, don't bring me into this." She pointed threateningly, swallowing her mouthful of food and standing up, brushing her hands down her cloth skirt that revealed her luscious legs. "Now if you'll excuse me." She smirked, giving her bosom a helpful push-up and then sauntered over to the dark haired man from Naruto's tribe with his spiky hair up in a ponytail, giving him a sly, yet seductive smile.

Gaara just rolled his eyes and returned his soft jade gaze back on the woman beside him. "Well?"

"Would you like the person who was responsible for taking you from your home?" she asked, raising a delicate brow at him.

"Would you rather be dead? Cause' that's the only thing I took you from. Your home was nothing anymore." He reminded her. "The land was barren and filled with death. I saved you, instead of letting some other tribe come and annihilate you all. And in that scenario, the one wanting you wouldn't be as generous as I am now. He would be raping you. So there." He said, picking up another large portion of meat and tossing it into his mouth.

She knew that his words were true, but at least that way she would have died fighting, because she would kill herself before letting any man rape her. "Look at it however you like." she said. "I'm not going to cause any trouble just because I don't agree with this arrangement. But I don't have to be nice to you, and I don't have to like you." she crossed her arms, finished eating.

"Well if you don't like me, then you're going to have a real tough time taking orders from me. Because _I_ am your chief now. This is my tribe and my rules, and I don't care if you choose to bring your ideals with you, because I have an open mind. But if you don't suck it up and start reacting a bit better, it's going to be a _long_ and tiring lifetime for you." Gaara said, looking forward, watching the fire and the dancing.

Sakura remained silent, watching everyone else celebrate. She didn't have a problem with following orders, because for the most part she would be left alone. Maybe if she just avoided the redhead as much as possible, and didn't really talk to him, he would lose interest in her. She didn't want his attentions, and she didn't want to be wooed. All she really wanted was to be left alone, to wallow in her misery and guilt for the rest of her days.

She watched the celebration for a bit longer, until she noticed the position of the moon. Rising silently, she left the ritual grounds and crossed the bridge, heading back to her tent. Pulling back the flap, she entered and took off her boots before getting inside her small, worn pallet. She closed her eyes to sleep, and a lone tear slid down her face. She missed her teacher. She missed her home. And most of all, she missed the way things used to be. In that moment, Sakura cursed fate for having done this to her, that being her last thought as sleep overtook her tired and worn body.


	3. And So It Begins

**Takaramono**

_Chapter Three_

-And So It Begins-

Sakura let out a tired sigh as she reached forward and pulled back the flap of her tent, stepping out only to be met with a face full of bluebonnets. She blinked and tried to look over the mass of flowers, only to meet a gaze of pale jade. "Has it really been two days already?" she groaned.

"Yes." Gaara actually smiled, though she couldn't see it because of the flowers. "And I have waited patiently, and I picked these for you. Women like flowers, right?"

She sighed and took the large bouquet from him. "Yes." She said, since she wasn't going to lie about it.

"And do you like them?" he asked, looking a bit child-like.

"Yes." She said, cursing inwardly. Why couldn't she just be mean to him and lie? Why? It was because he wasn't being arrogant, she surmised. Damn bastard.

He looked relieved and let out a visible breath. "Good, I was afraid-" he stopped, his eyes widening slightly as did Sakura's. A huge brown spider crept up one of the middle stems and stared straight at the pink haired woman. Out of instinct, Sakura took in a sharp breath and let out a shrill scream.

"Sakura, no!" he yelled, because once she screamed it jumped towards her face, baring its fairly large fangs. Gaara moved quicker than she might have imagined, his face turning serious, and pulled her out of the way, smacking the spider to the ground before stepping on it to end its life.

They both stared at the dead spider, before Sakura's face turned to a frown. "I…absolutely _hate_ bugs." She said, looking at him somewhat accusatorily, since the entire thing was his fault. At least, in her mind it was.

"I'm sorry...I did not intend for that to happen." he sighed, looking disheartened.

"Yes, well." She straightened. "Thanks for the flowers." She went back inside her tent and set the flowers down before re-emerging. "I'm going to breakfast." She told him, turning and beginning to walk in the direction of the banquet area where all of their meals were held.

He followed after her, hovering over her slightly. "I really am sorry."

"I'm sure you are." She said, since now he probably thought that one incident had ruined his chances at wooing her. Little did he know that he didn't have any chances at all, because there was absolutely no way she would ever fall for someone like him.

Gaara sighed once more and walked ahead of her, looking bored and slightly annoyed. "Gaara!" a brunette ran up looking excited. "This village rocks!" he cheered, and then looked to Sakura. "Hey crazy! How you doin' finally getting that stick outta your-" he stopped when he saw the murderous look in the pink haired woman's eyes. Gaara just walked away and off to his place.

"I'm fine Kiba. Thanks for asking." She said tersely, walking up to the group of people gathered around the fire and sitting in the very back. She had been sitting here for the past two days at every meal, because this way she was far away from Gaara and didn't have to talk to him, and it was hard for him to see her, so she could sneak off whenever she was done eating.

She talked politely with the people she was sitting around, actually finding the village's inhabitants to be very nice. When she finished eating, she bid farewell and rose, walking back to the village, completely aware of the gaze that followed her until she had disappeared beyond the bridge.

She sighed to herself, going back to her small tent. She picked up the bundle of flowers Gaara had picked for her and eyed them critically. She really should just throw them in the river and let them be carried off. But even she wasn't that callous, and so she found a small cup that she had brought along, and filled it with water from the river just behind her abode, placing it back next to her pallet when she was done.

Then she picked up a small satchel that was full of fresh herbs she had gathered the day before, one of the village women being kind enough to show her where some were. Going back outside, she sat along the bank of the river. She took off her boots, putting her feet in the cool, refreshing liquid as she began to pick apart the plants, tossing the pieces she didn't need into the river and watching them float off.

Someone sat beside her and she had to do her best not to let out an irritated sigh. "So," Gaara began glancing over at her, "You should tell me about yourself."

"Not much to tell." She said, not even looking up from her task.

"Well then tell me what there is." He persisted.

This time she actually did sigh. "I was born on a full moon, learned to heal at a young age, and have been doing it ever since." Was all she said, though they both knew there was more to her story. She just didn't want to talk about it.

"What kinds of things do you like?"

"All kinds of things."

"Oh come on." He actually whined. "Can't I get a little break? Just a little one? Why are you so against me, I don't get it. You like everyone else here."

She looked at him, pausing in her task. "I don't want you to like me." She said. "I don't want your attentions, and I don't want to be wooed. I just want to be left alone." She looked at the river and her fists clenched slightly. She realized then that this was the most she had said to him since her first night here.

He frowned. "But being alone…is awful." He sighed, looking into the clear water.

"I know." She murmured sadly. Then she shook her head slightly and resumed picking apart the herbs. "Anyways, if you're so bent on wooing me, then you'll just have to try and figure out what I like on your own, because I'm not going to help you."

"Well I suppose I will just have to try harder then."

"Yup."

He stood then. "I will win your affections." He nodded.

"I wish you would just give up." She said, finished with separating the plants. She gathered them to her and stood. "It would make things easier."

"For who exactly?" he smirked, beginning to walk off.

"For both of us." She sighed, shaking her head as she went back to her tent. If he was going to be stubborn about it, she wouldn't stop him. It would be his own time that he was wasting, not hers.

Back in her tent, she began to categorize all of her medicines and mixtures, just doing busy work for the rest of the day. She didn't see nor hear from Gaara, and couldn't help but be glad. Hopefully he would just give up and leave her alone. She didn't want to find happiness in someone. She didn't deserve it.


End file.
